Whatever is, isn’t Right
In Voltaire’s poem, “The Lisbon Earthquake: An Inquiry into the Maxim,’Whatever is, is right,’” the most significant criticism he has against Pope is that Pope uses this idea of a perfect harmony and cosmic order as a way to hide the horrible truths of suffering. Voltaire is able to exploit Pope’s ideas by using visuals and imagery into suffering that Pope never addresses in his poem, “An Essay on Man”. Voltaire vocalizes his views on Pope by attacking his poem and gives the reader a graphic view of suffering with an overview of the Lisbon Earthquake that killed some 60,000 people. Voltaire Uses the earthquake as a way to back up his views of suffering using violent imagery while Pope uses a more comforting approach to back up his view. Voltaire believes we should be enraged by suffering while Pope believes that we should accept suffering, “Whatever IS, is RIGHT” (203).
From the beginning of Pope’s “An Essay on Man,” he makes the idea clear that his focus of the poem is to address humans being blinded by their pride. He writes “In Pride, reas’ning Pride, our error lies; All quit their sphere, and rush into the skies” (202), this couplet is essential to the understanding of pride in humans. When pride leads humans to question the divine order, this is what Pope believes to cause blindness of the true purpose of individuals. Humans begin to lose focus of their true purpose when they try to understand the idea of cosmic harmony. Every individual plays an important role to the whole of the universe. Pope believes what happens is supposed to happen to keep cosmic order. As Pope continues to address prideful humans misunderstanding of the divine order, “Cease then, nor ORDER Imperfection name: Our proper bliss depends on what we blame” (202). True happiness all depends on perspective, Pope reasons that, “All discord, Harmony not understood; All partial Evil Universal Good:” (203). Here, Pope is suggesting humans to not look at the suffering as bad because in the end every indivdual plays their own role in the universe. Pope’s idea of divine harmony and that whatever is is right helps humans to cope with suffering. Overall, Pope is saying in his poem, humans should not ry to understand the divine order just accept the suffering because cosmic harmony has power over all human beings and each human plays an individual role in the universe.
In “The Lisbon Earthquake: An Inquiry into the Maxim,’Whatever is, is right’” Voltaire’s criticizes many of Pope’s ideas that go along with his idea of cosmic order and perfect harmony. The first critique Voltaire has is when he begins to take a stab at Pope for accusing humans of being prideful trying to understand suffering. “When groans , under such a load of woe, He is not proud, he only feels the blow” (206). Here, Voltaire addresses Pope saying that when humans suffer they aren’t being prideful trying to understand why bad things are happening. In reality they are groaning because of the tragedy they are enduring. Voltaire accuses Pope of not being able to understand suffering because he hasn’t known what it feels like to truly suffer, “But when like us Fate’s rigors you have felt, Become humane, like us you’ll learn to melt” (207). He is saying to Pope that when an individual endures suffering there is no comforting truth. Voltaire sees the destruction of the Lisbon Earthquake and combats Pope saying there is no comfort that can be found in a tragesty such as the earthquake that took the lives of 60,000 people. Voltaire’s argument against Pope accusing humans of being prideful when trying to understand suffering is valid because Pope put in a position of suffering would wonder why he bad things are happening. Pope wants to look at suffering in a perspective that the cosmic harmony is working itself out but, Voltaire asks of Pope to see what good can be found from the deaths of so many. In such an occurrence Pope would “learn to melt” and see suffering rationally. Rethinking his perspective on accepting suffering as a greater good.
Voltaire later goes on to attack Pope’s belief that we may not understand why things happen, but to just accept them because it's for the greater good. Pope believes true happiness all depends on the perspective humans take on viewing suffering and Pope reasons that, “All discord, Harmony not understood; All partial Evil Universal Good:” (203). In this couplet Pope is reasoning that every individual plays a part in the whole of the universe. The suffering and prospering all plays a role in the universe’s plan. Voltaire refers to this with first bringing into question what reasons were there for so many people dying and suffering in the Lisbon earthquake, “Say, will you then eternal laws maintain, Which God to cruelties like these constrain?” (205). The earthquake that killed 60,000 people has no greater good in the end reasons Voltaire. “Say, will you then eternal laws maintain” is a reference to Pope’s idea of a divine order, meaning that there is no good that can come from all of those deaths. He then questions which God would do such a cruel thing and cause so much suffering.
Pope views the brighter side of suffering throughout his poem. He asks humans to have faith in the divine order even when the future looks bleak. He writes “And, spite of Pride and erring Reason’s spite, One truth is Whatever IS, is Right” (203). Pope doesn’t want pride to blind the truth that whatever happens has a purpose. Voltaire responds to this idea by reasoning death. The couplet, “To numerous insects shall my corpse give birth, When once it mixes with its mother earth:” painting a vivid image of death. Voltaire argues Pope telling him to look at the greater good from death. In the end there is no avoiding death and how is it possible to look at the brighter side of death when the corpses of the dead will be home to insects who will eat away at the bodies until they become one with the earth. He wants Pope to try to seek comfort as life ends but no comfort can be found when he realizes “Small comfort ‘tis that Death’s ruthless power Closes my life, worms shall my flesh devour” (207). Voltaire continues to pressure Pope to see that suffering and death has little comfort when death brings the decomposition of corpses.
Voltaire’s criticism against Pope is effective because he is able to use imagery behind the gruesome truth behind death and suffering. Calling upon Pope to explain the good in the Lisbon Earthquake. With one last stab at Pope Voltaire uses Pope’s words to further his criticism, “Oh worthless bliss! in injured reason’s sight, With faltering voice you cry, What is, is right” (207). Humans can try to have a positive perspective, but In that moment when time is nearing an end Voltaire quotes “With faltering voice you cry, What is, is right” to show there is no comfort in trying to look at the brighter side of suffering, but only pain knowing that there is no comfort when death is nearing.
In conclusion, In Voltaire’s poem, “The Lisbon Earthquake: An Inquiry into the Maxim,’Whatever is, is right’”, the most significant criticism he has against Pope is that he uses this idea of a perfect harmony and cosmic order as a way to hide the horrible truths of suffering. Voltaire is able to exploit Pope’s ideas by using visuals and imagery into suffering that validates his criticism. In a letter to Voltaire, Rousseau says, “You [Voltaire] reproach Pope… for condemning our misfortunes, in maintaining that everything is good, and you so amplify the picture of our miseries that you aggravate the feeling of them.” This not a fair attack on Voltaire because Voltaire is able to back up his accusation of Pope numerous times throughout his poem.
The first main criticism Voltaire has of Pope is his idea of prideful humans being blinded by reason. Pope thinks that when humans try to reason suffering they begin to lose focus of the greater good. Voltaire criticises this by saying that humans aren’t being proud, but are just feeling so much pain they are being crushed. Later Voltaire further backs up the criticism further by asking Pope to explain the good that comes from suffering and death. The second main criticism Voltaire has of Pope is the belief that we may not understand why things happen, but to just accept them because it's for the greater good. Voltaire validates his argument by saying there is no greater good in death. In the end all humans are just corpses that will be decomposed by the Earth. Voltaire is accurately able to criticise and back up his critiques against Pope making his arguments valid.